Chapter 82

Frowning, the advisor asked, "Is there such a thing?"

"Uh-huh!" Guo Fatso nodded.

"The few vases were too eye-catching. It makes sense that someone would take an interest in the Young Master," the advisor said. "Fatso, be careful."

"I know, don't worry, Advisor," Guo Fatso replied.

"Lao Bai, you tricked Jiang Yan. Lie low for a while, go to the capital, and investigate Zhang Dashan's background," the advisor said, pulling out a photo from a tattered cloth bag. "This is a portrait I had someone draw."

Wu Bai took the photo, examined it carefully in the light, and sighed, "Advisor, this task isn't easy. This person has no distinguishing features at all. How can I find him?"

"Try your best!" The advisor rolled his eyes and said, "You're just idle anyway."

"Alright!" Wu Bai nodded and said, "Finding people isn't my specialty. My specialty is..."

"What is your specialty? Your specialty is just deceiving people," the advisor scolded. "What else can you do? I forgot to ask, what did you sell to the Young Master at Langyuan last time?"

Guo Fatso, not missing a chance to add fuel to the fire, said, "It was clearly a high-quality imitation bronze artifact. Besides deceiving people, all you do is drink. Humph, you and my uncle drank two jars of sorghum wine."

"Did you actually use a high-quality imitation bronze artifact to deceive the Young Master?" Chen Mo also shook his head in exasperation, "Lao Bai, don't you have any old junk at home?"

"That was indeed a high-quality imitation bronze artifact!" Wu Bai said, hanging his head. "This matter is quite strange."

"Strange?" The advisor asked, puzzled. "What's strange about it? The Young Master is young and likes these intricate little trinkets, which is normal. But you shouldn't deceive him with an imitation, right?"

"I hid a pearl inside the little turtle," Wu Bai said. "Knowing he was the Young Master, if someone else had asked for a price, I wouldn't have sold it for three thousand, even three million, without some thought. I was just curious. I put so many things on the ground, and there were plenty of intricate and fun trinkets, but he actually chose the little turtle."

"In that case, the Young Master has quite an eye for these things," Zhu Hong laughed.

Guo Fatso hesitated.

"Fatso, if you have something to say, just say it," the advisor said.

"He put the little turtle on his bedside table as a decoration. It seems... he doesn't know there's a pearl inside," Guo Fatso said. "Uncle Lao Bai, what kind of pearl did you hide inside?"

Wu Bai just laughed awkwardly in response to this question.

"Alright, that's settled. Regardless of whether he knows or not, Lao Bai, go to the capital and find the person for me," the advisor said. "Fatso, tell your uncle to come to Jinling from Yuzhou. He can help Lao Bai find the person. Otherwise, I'm not sure I can rely on Lao Bai alone."

"I'll go to the capital with Lao Bai," Chen Mo said. "If my brother-in-law and Lao Bai go to the capital together, they'll probably be looking for wine barrels instead of people."

He knew his brother-in-law's temper. Alone, he wouldn't cause too much trouble, but with Wu Bai, both being alcoholics, they wouldn't stop until they were thoroughly drunk.

"Alright, have Lao Lu come to Jinling quickly. What's he doing in Yuzhou?" the advisor frowned. "Doesn't he know Jinling is busy these days?"

"The Young Master is fond of Ru porcelain. I asked him to get a few bottles for the Young Master to play with," Guo Fatso said honestly.

"Tell him to come quickly. What's so special about Ru porcelain?" the advisor waved his hand. "That's settled. As long as we keep an eye on Jiang Yan, we'll find some clues. Monkey, tell me what happened on your end. Didn't I repeatedly warn you not to cause trouble near Jinling?"

"Advisor, it's really not my fault," Hou Zhi, nicknamed Monkey, said. He had long arms and legs, looking like a big monkey.

"Tell me, whose idea was this?" the advisor frowned. "You moved so quickly in just a few days?"

"Advisor, didn't you always teach us to act quickly when we see an opportunity? Otherwise, where would we have a place to make a living?" Hou Zhi smiled sheepishly. "This time, it was Scholar Feng's idea. Following your instructions, Scholar Feng wanted to meet the Young Master, so he said he needed to prepare a gift. It was a coincidence..."

"Advisor, in the end, the gift wasn't prepared, and Scholar Feng got into trouble and had to run away," Guo Fatso smiled sheepishly.

The advisor thought for a moment and said, "I'll handle Scholar Feng. I'll have him come to Jinling tomorrow. Fatso, you and Monkey, don't cause any more trouble—just stay with the Young Master."

"That's right, Fatso, don't cause trouble," Chen Mo said. "But, Advisor, do you think—Old Ou has gone mad?"

"Most people in the antique business, if they just play around, buy and sell, and have good eyes, occasionally find a good deal, and make some money, can live a good life. They can also sell high-end crafts under the guise of selling antiques," the advisor took out a cigarette and lit it again.

"Most people in the antique business do that," Wu Bai laughed.

"Yes, most people in the antique business do that. They mainly sell high-end crafts, or if they find a big fish, they might sell an imitation as a genuine item. But to do big business, you need a steady supply. There are only a few shops on the antique street that do well—someone targeting Yang Chongxuan isn't surprising," the advisor sneered. "Qin Zhengjian has excellent eyes, but he can only be a grand master at Langyuan, not open his own antique shop. Occasionally, he can find a good piece and play with it, but doing serious business is a different matter.

Old Ou has probably been flattered too much in Jinling these past years and forgotten who he is. Does he really think he's so respected that everyone will follow his call? Without us, what is Langyuan? Nothing!

Fatso, arrange a meeting between me and the Young Master as soon as possible."

"Alright!" Guo Fatso hurriedly agreed.

"That's it for today!" the advisor asked, "Anything else?"

Everyone shook their heads and stood up, each going their own way.

"Fatso, your sorghum wine is great," Wu Bai walked up to Guo Fatso and laughed. "Do you have any other good wine?"

"If you find out Zhang Dashan's background, I'll give you a big jar of monkey wine," Guo Fatso smiled. "How about it, Uncle Lao Bai? Don't say I don't have good wine to offer."

"Deal!" Wu Bai gave Guo Fatso a thumbs up and smiled, "Wait for my good news."

"Fatso, I'm leaving with Lao Bai tomorrow!" Chen Mo grabbed Guo Fatso's ear and gritted his teeth, "Behave yourself."